Apparatus for processing elongated filaments



Sept. 15, 1970 l.1. FrrToN I y 3,528,235

APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING ELONGATED FILAMENTS Filed Feb. 2:5, 196s United States Patent O 3,528,235 APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING ELONGATED FILAMENTS Joseph Fitton, Great Hawarth House, Wardle Road, Rochdale, England Filed Feb. 23, 1968, Ser. No. 707,652 Int. Cl. D02g 1/02; D02j 3/08 U.S. Cl. 57-34 11 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to the treatment of elongated filaments, and more particularly to an apparatus for treating such elongated filaments. Still more particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus for processing crimped filaments and, more specifically, for processing crimped yarn.

Filamentary material, which term will hereafter be used to designate both single filaments and a multiplicity of laments which have been united into a yarn, have a certain load-extension and recovery characteristic once they have undergone a crimping treatment. This characteristic is measured by suspending a load from a length of crimped filamentary material and measuring the amount to which it is longitudinally extended or stretched, and the recovery characteristic is the ability to contract which is expressed in percentages of the degree of extension. It is evident that the load-extension and recovery characteristic of filamentary material affects the range of applications to which such material may be put, and the characteristic behaviour of such material in a given application. From this it follows that it must be desirable to be able to affect the load-extension and recovery characteristics of filamentary material so as to tailor them to a specific requirement. This has, in fact, long been attempted but no satisfactory solutions have heretofore been proposed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides the aforementioned desired solution.

More particularly, the present invention provides for alteration of the load-extension and recovery characteristics of filamentary material.

Still more particularly, the present invention provides an apparatus for processing filamentary material whereby to alter the load-extension and recovery characteristics of such flamentary material.

The apparatus in accordance with the present invention is not at all complicated and is therefore simple and inexpensive to manufacture. Because of its lack of complexity the apparatus according to the present invention can readily be incorporated not only in processing machines for filamentary material which are being newly constructed, but can also be added to existing ones of such processing machines.

In accordance with one feature of my invention I provide an apparatus for the processing of elongated filamentary material, which apparatus comprises feed means and deforming means. The feed means is operative for 3,528,235 Patented Sept. l5, 1970 feeding at least one elongated crimped filament of given cross section in a predetermined direction to a filament processing station. The deforming means is arranged at the processing station and effects deforming of the filament transversely of the elongation thereof, thereby effecting permanent alteration of the cross-sectional configuration of the filament and a consequent alteration of the load-extension and recovery characteristics thereof.

The deforming means in the apparatus according to my present invention may comprise pressure-applying rollers which define a nip between themselves, through which nip the lamentary material passes. These rollers may, if desired, be heated, or at least one of them may be heated. Under certain circumstances, for instance if the filament which is being processed is possessed of latent crimp, a term which is well known in this field, my apparatus may also comprise heating means arranged upstream of the deforming means so as to develop the latent crimp. Of course, the apparatus may comprise a crimping device, for instance a false-twist crimping device, from which the crimped filament may be directly fed to the deforming means. This will facilitate continuous operation of my novel apparatus.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION O'F THE DRAWING The single `figure illustrates in diagrammatic view an apparatus according to my invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Discussing noW the drawing in detail it will 4be seen that I show a iilamentary material 10 which may be a single crimped filament, or which may be a multi-filament material such as a crimped yarn. I provide feed means in form of feed rollers 11 which serve to advance this yarn orfilament in the direction towards a pair of pressure rollers 12 which will be described subsequently. The yarn or filament in the direction towards a pair of pressure in which it is provided with a latent crimp. This crimp rnust then be developed and for this reason I provide the heater 14 which may be a conventional electrically heated curved plate type. The filament 10 passes over a surface of the heater 1-4 and the latent crimp in the yarn is developed. Of course, the heater 14 can also be provided for other reasons and it will be understood that it can be present even if the filament 10 does not contain latent crimp.

Another possibility is that the filament 10 is crimped in a suitable manner, for instance by a false-twist crimping device, upstream of the feed rollers 11. Such a device is not shown `because it is well known to those skilled in the art and it is being mentioned here primarily to show the versatility of my novel apparatus which, quite obviously, can lbe employed in a variety of different ways for processing filamentary material coming from a variety of different sources, such as directly from a twisting device, from a storage package, or the like.

The filament 10 is forwarded by the feed rollers 11, at least one of which is driven in a suitable manner which is here not illustrated because it is well known to the art and entirely conventional, to a deforming means which in the illustrated embodiment consists of a set 12 of pressure-applying rollers. Individually these pressure-applying rollers are identified with reference numerals 12a and 12b, and again at least one of these rollers 12a or 12b is driven in a suitable and entirely conventional manner. In the embodiment illustrated the roller 12a is fixedly mounted on a rotary shaft 13 which, it Will be understood, may extend for a considerable distance and may carry a plurality of additional rollers 12a. Evidently, the illustrated arrangement can be duplicated any desired number of times to provide a plurality of arrangements for simultaneously processing a plurality of individual filaments r a plurality of multi-filament structures. This is of importance if a textile machine with which the novel apparatus is to be used comprises a plurality of operating stations because each of the stations can be provided with an apparatus according to my invention.

The pressure rollers 12a and 12b consist of a wearresistant hard material, such as steel, which is not subject tobeing scored by passage of the filament over and between them. Whereas the roller 12a is mounted for rotation on the shaft 13, the second roller, namely the roller 12b, is rotatably mounted for movement closer towards and away from the roller 12a so that it engages the surface of the latter with a force Which can be selected at the Will of the operator. In the illustrated embodiment this adjustment possibility is provided by mounting the roller 12b rotatable on a hydraulic ram means 16 which in turn is carried on a bracket 17 mounted on the textile machine. The ram means 16 which urges the roller 12b against the roller 12a and it Will be understood that the pressure with which the roller 12b is urged against the roller 12a, and therefore the pressure which the two rollers together exert on the filament 10 passing therebetween, is adjustible by adjusting the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic ram means 16. It will also be evident that a discussion of the hydraulic ram means as to its construction is not necessary because this is of course entirely conventional. If a plurality of apparatus such as illustrated in the drawing are provided for a common operation, that is if a multi-station machine is provided with a plurality of such apparatuses, one at each station, then the pressure applied by all the pressure applying rollers can advantageously be adjusted from a single source of hydraulic pressure.

As the filament 10 passes between the rollers 12a and 12b it is subjected to pressure which acts on it transversely of its elongation, whereby its cross section is permanently deformed, also in direction transversely to its elongation. Inasmuch as the filament 10 is crimped and thus consists of a plurality of longitudinally arrayed portions each of which extends transversely of the longitudinal extension of the filament and in a plane which is normal to this extension, there exists a natural tendency for each of these crimped portions to twist as it approaches the nip between the rollers 12a and 12b. As a result of this each crimped portion passes through this nip with its plane aligned with the line of contact between the rollers 12a and 12b. Therefore, the increase in the cross-sectional configuration of the yarn which results from the deformation pressure exerted Vby the rollers 12a and 12b takes place in the plane of each of the crimped portions, and this in turn results in a permanent change in the load-extension and recovery characteristics of the filament 10.

Downstream of the rollers 12a and 12b a suitable takeup means winds up the thus-processed filament.

I have found it advantageous to provide means for Varying the peripheral speeds of the rollers of the first set 11 and the rollers of the second set 12 with respect to one another, thus making it possible to overfeed the lfilament 10 by reason of increasing the peripheral speed of the rollers 11 via that of the rollers 12, or otherwise selecting the desired extension condition of the filament 10 between the rollers 11 and 12. It may be here reiterated, as has already been suggested earlier, that the rollers 11 may supply the filament -10 from a suitable crimping device, for instance from a false-twist crimping device, and in fact 4 the rollers 10 may be the output feed rollers of a falsetwist crimping device if desired.

It Wil also be obvious that the hydraulic .ram means 16 is illustrated merely by way of example and that it can be replaced with other arrangements, for instance spring-loading means, weight-loading means or any other arrangement which will serve to bias the roller 12b in the direction towards the roller 12a. Clearly, of course, the relationship can also be reversed and the roller 12a biased towards a roller 12b which is mounted on a stationary axis. As far as heating of one or both of the rollers of the pair 12 is concerned, it will be evident that this can also `be affected in a variety of well-known ways, for instance by embedding electric resistance heating elements in one or both of the rollers 12a and 12b.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of arrangements differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in an apparatus for processing elongated filaments, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:

11. Apparatus for processing elongated filaments comprising, in combination, feed means operative for feeding at least one elongated crimped filament of given crosssection in predetermined direction to a filament processing station; and deforming means arranged at said processing station and operative for engaging and deforming said filament from opposite sides transversely of the elongation thereof whereby to effect permanent alteration of the cross-sectional configuration of said filament and consequent alteration of the load extension and recovery characteristics thereof.

2. Apparatus for processing elongated filaments comprising, in combination, feed means operative for feeding in predetermined direction to a filament processing station at least one elongated filament of given cross-section and comprising a plurality of longitudinally arranged curved filament portions each of which extends transversely to the elongation of said filament; and deforming means arranged at said processing station and operative for deforming each of said filament portions transversely of the elongation of said filament so as to provide for each of said filament portions a cross-sectional configuration whose major dimension extends in the plane of curvature of the respective portion, thereby effecting permanent alteration of the cross-sectional configuration of said filament and consequent alteration of the load extension and recovery characteristics thereof.

3. Apparatus for processing elongated filaments comprising, in combination, feed means operative for feeding in predetermined direction to a filament processing station at least one elongated filament of given cross-section and comprising a plurality of longitudinally arranged curved filament portions each of which extends transversely t0 the elongation of said filament; and deforming means arranged at said processing station and comprising pressure-applying means operative for applying to said filament portions from opposite sides of the respective planes of curvature thereof a pressure requisite for deforming said filament so that its major cross-sectional dimension extends in the plane of curvature of the respective filament portion, with the resulting permanent alteration of the cross-sectional configuration of said filament effecting consequent alteration of the load extension and recovery characteristics thereof.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein said pressure-applying means comprises a pair of pressure rollers defining with one another a nip through which said'filament passes.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein said pressure-applying means comprises a pair of pressure rollers, at least one of which is driven, defining with one another a nip through which said filament passes.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5; and further cornprising means for heating at least one of said pressure rollers.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 5; and further comprising heating means arranged upstream of said pressure rollers and operative for heating said filament prior t0 deformation thereof.

8, Apparatus as defined in claim 1; and further comprising filament take-up means arranged downstream of said processing station and operative for taking up the deformed filament.

9. Apparatus for processing elongated filaments comprising, in combination, feed means operative for feeding at least one elongated crimped filament of given crosssection in predetermined direction in a filament processing station; and deforming means arranged at said processing station and operative for deforming said filament transversely of the elongation thereof whereby to effect permanent alteration of the cross-sectional configuration of said filament and consequent alteration of the load extension and recovery characteristics thereof, one of said means being constructed and arranged for effecting overfeeding of said filament to said deforming means.

10. Apparatus for processing elongated filaments comprising, in combination, feed means operative for feeding at least one elongated crimped filament of given crosssection in predetermined direction in a filament processing station; deforming means arranged at said processing station and operative for deforming said filament transversely of the elongation thereof whereby to effect permanent alteration of the cross-sectional configuration of said filament and consequent alteration of the load extension and recovery characteristics thereof; and false-twist crimping means for crimping said filament prior to feeding thereof to said processing station.

11. Apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said pressure-applying means further comprises adjusting means for moving at least one of said rollers towards and away from the other whereby to vary the nip defined by said rollers and to thereby adjust the deformation pressure exerted on said filament.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,847,703 8/ 1958 Schrenk et al. 2,943,377 7/ 1960 Freiberger 28-1.2 XR 3,132,462 5/1964 Kim et al. 57-34 3,196,602 7/ 1965 Jenkins et al. 57-34 XR 3,241,305 3/1966 Irwin et al. 57--140 3,329,757 7/ 1967 Johnson 264-282 3,332,226 7/1967 Rosenstein 57-140 3,358,345 12/1967 Daniel 28-12 3,404,522 10/ 1968 Stoll et al 57-34 3,412,192 11/1968 Clapson 28-1.2 XR

DONALD E. WATKINS, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 28-1 

